Holding device for lock cylinders

ABSTRACT

A DEVICE FOR PREVENTING THE ACCIDENTAL OR MALICIOUS LOCKING OF A PLUNGER TYPE LOCK CYLINDER OF A DEVICE SUCH AS FILING CABINET INCLUDES A MEMBER WHICH IS ADAPTED TO BE ENGAGED AROUND AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE LOCK CYLINDER WHEN THE LOCK CYLINDER IS IN AN EXTENDED OPEN POSITION AND HOLD IT IN THIS POSITION AGAINST THE POSSIBILITY OF IT BEING CLOSED. THE DEVICE INCLUDES A SLEEVE MEMBER WHICH MAY BE MADE OF A RIGID MATERIAL SUCH AS METAL OR OF A RESILIENT OR SEMI-RESILIENT MATERIAL SUCH AS PLASTIC OR RUBBER AND IT INCLUDES MEANS FOR ANCHORING IT IN POSITION AROUND AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE LOCK CYLINDER SO AS TO ENGAGE THE CYLINDER AND PREVENT IT FROM BEING MOVED BACKWARDLY INTO THE ACCOMMODATING RECESS THEREFOR ON A FILING CABINET. THE DEVICE INCLUDES MEANS FOR CLAMPING IT IN POSITION WHICH IN ONE FORM OF THE INVENTION COMPRISES A ROTATABLE SCREW WHICH MAY BE MOVED BY EITHER A SCREW DRIVER OR A UNIQUE TOOL TO PERMIT ITS FASTENING OR RELEASE FROM THE ASSOCIATED LOCK CYLINDER.

v Oct. 19, 1971 M $|NGER 3,613,415

HOLDING DEVICE FOR LOCK CYLINDERS Filed March 17, 1970 FIGD FIGcSINVENTOR5 M Z0NARD SINGER BY R056?! M. W015 72 XUTORNE Y5 United StatesPatent "ice 3,613,415 HOLDING DEVICE FOR LOCK CYLINDERS M. LeonardSinger, 1500 Cardinal Drive, Little Falls,

NJ. 07424, and Robert M. Woletz, 789 Main St.,

Hackensack, NJ. 07601 Filed Mar. 17, 1970, Ser. No. 20,292 Int. Cl. E05b15/00 US. Cl. 70-447 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device forpreventing the accidental or malicious locking of a plunger type lockcylinder of a device such as filing cabinet includes a member which isadapted to be engaged around at least a portion of the lock cylinderwhen the lock cylinder is in an extended open position and hold it inthis position against the possibility of it being closed. The deviceincludes a sleeve member which may be made of a rigid material such asmetal or of a resilient or semi-resilient material such as plastic orrubber and it includes means for anchoring it in position around atleast a portion of the lock cylinder so as to engage the cylinder andprevent it from being moved backwardly into the accommodating recesstherefor on a filing cabinet. The device includes means for clamping itin position which in one form of the invention comprises a rotatablescrew which may be moved by either a screw driver or a unique tool topermit its fastening or release from the associated lock cylinder.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates in general to safetydevices and in particular to a new and useful safety device particularlyfor holding a lock cylinder of a filing cabinet in an open position andwhich comprises a sleeve member which is adapted to be clamped againstthe lock cylinder and hold it against withdrawal into the cabinetrecess.

The present invention provides a new and unusual device for preventingthe accidental inward movement of a lock cylinder of a filing cabinetinto a locked position, and in its simplest form includes a sleevemember which is adapted to be engaged around the cylinder of theassociated filing cabinet or similar device and to hold the lock thereonin an extended position so it cannot be pushed backwardly into therecess of the associated device and thus lock the device againstopening. The device is particularly useful for filing cabinets in orderto prevent the accidental or malicious locking of the individual drawersof the cabinet during periods in which the drawers are to be used and ata time, for example, when the key to open the cabinet may not be easilyaccessible.

In accordance with the invention, the safety device comprises a collaror sleeve member which may be made of a rigid, semi-rigid or elasticmaterial which may be fitted over the look cylinder to be held in anopen position. The sleeve includes a means for clamping it into positionin relation to the extended lock cylinder in order to provide aprojection thereon which prevents the cylinder from being movedbackwardly into the accommodating recess of the associated article sothat the article cannot be locked. The device is provided particularlyfor use in respect to a filing cabinet, and, in its preferred form, itcomprises a metallic sleeve having a bore therethrough of theconfiguration of the lock cylinder with which it is to be employed. Inmost instances, the locking cylinder of a filing cabinet is of an ovalconfiguration and thus the bore of a collar or sleeve is so formed. Theconstruction includes a top surface which is notched in order to providea centering for a thread-bore which extends downwardly into thescrew-bore of this collar and pro- 3,613,415 Patented Get. 19, 1971vides an accommodation for a set screw which may be threaded into thethread-bore for a purpose of securing the collar or sleeve to theassociated looking cylinder. In one form of the invention the set screwmay be provided with a head which may be turned by ordinary tools suchas coin, nail-file or screw-driver so that all personnel of an officehave an easily available means for fastening and unfastening the device.Alternatively, the head may be provided with a special receiving grooveor recess which will accommodate only a special type tool to permit itsfastening or unfastening by only selected personnel who have such tool.Alternatively, the collar may include easily operated clamping meanswhich may provide some frictional engagement of the collar with thelocking cylinder and which may be in a form, for example, of a resilientelement which is compressed by either the rotation of a set screw or bythe depressing of a plunger to tightly engage against the associatedlocking cylinder. And still in another form which is envisioned by theinvention the sleeve itself may be of a material such as rubber so thatit resiliently and tightly engages the lock cylinder in any position inwhich it is applied.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a device in theform of a collar or sleeve which is adapted to fit over a lockingcylinder and tightly engage the locking cylinder and project from thesurface thereof to hold the cylinder against withdrawal or movement intoa recess for locking in the device with which it is associated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a locking device for alocking cylinder of a filing cabinet which includes a metal sleeve whichis adapted to be fitted over the cylinder and which includes means forclamping it in position around the cylinder so that the sleeve providesa projection which prevents the locking cylinder from being withdrawninto the cabinet recess to lock the cabinet.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device which providesmeans for holding a locking cylinder in a selected orientation and whichadvantageously includes means for positioning and holding a key in aselected position, such as in an unlocked position so that it cannot beturned, and which includes a clamping member in a form of a set-screw orsimilar arrangement which may be firmly engaged with the associated lockcylinder either by a common and easily available tool or an unique toolso that the device has a limited access for removability.

A further object of the invention is to provide a locking device for thelock of a filing cabinet which is simple in design, rugged inconstruction, and economical to manufacture.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention arepointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming apart of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention,its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use,reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptivematter in which there are illustrated and described preferredembodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a locking collar for a plungertype cylinder of a filing cabinet constructed in accordance with theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a partial top perspective view of a portion of a filingcabinet having a locking cylinder with the safety device thereonconstructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken along the line 3-3 ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 of another embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 and still another embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 of another embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of still another embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 8 is a section taken along the line 8-8 of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of theinvention.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to thedrawings, in particular, the invention embodied therein, as indicated inFIGS. 1, 2 and 3, comprises a safety device or locking collar generallydesignated 10 which, in this embodiment, comprises a sleeve or annularmember 12 made of a material, for example, such as light metal orplastic material and which is provided with an oval shaped bore 14therethrough for accommodating a locking cylinder 16 of a similarconfiguration which is employed on most filing cabinets 18. As usual, inthe operation of filing cabinets the drawers of the cabinet will beopenable only if the locking cylinder 16 is in an extended position asshown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In many instances, however, the cylinder 16 ispushed by inadvertence or by malice so that it is moved into anaccommodating recess of the filing cabinet 18 and thus locks the cabinetso that the drawers 20 cannot be opened. The safety device 10 of theinvention may be made of a resilient material such as a plastic or arubber which permits it by its very nature to become clamped to thelocking cylinder 16, or, as in the embodiment illustrated, it includesclamping means generally designated 22 which may be operated to causethe tight engagement of the safety device 10 with the associatedcylinder 16.

In the embodiment illustrated the clamping means 22 includes a set-screw24 which is threaded into a threaded bore or cross bore 26 formed in afiat top wall 28 of the collar 12. In order to facilitate the tapping ofthe threaded bore the top wall 28 is provided with a V-shaped notch 30which extends across the thickness of the collar 12. The set screw inthe embodiment of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 includes a head 32 havingintersecting grooves 34 of a size to accommodate a readily availabletool in a form of a coin, screw-driver, nail-file, etc. Two intersectinggrooves 34, 34 are provided in order to make it very easy to engage thehead at 32 to rotate the set-screw 24 to cause it to clamp against thecylinder 16 or to loosen it from the cylinder 16 so that the collar 12may be either applied or removed as desired.

In some instances it is desirable that a safety device 10 of a typeindicated in FIG. 4 be provided which comprises a cylinder oroval-shaped tubular member 36 which is adapted to engage over a lockingcylinder 16. The member 36 has an end wall 36a which prevents access tothe end of the locking cylinder 16 and in some instances it is desirablethat this end wall be provided with an opening 36b to accommodate a key(not shown) which may be oriented in the locking cylinder 16 in apredetermined manner. Thus it would permit access of a key into theopening 36b and through an associated receiving opening of the cylinder16 (not shown) only in an unlocked orientation. This provides means forholding the key in place but since it is not able to turn the key cannotbe used to lock the device until the member 36 is removed from theplunger 16.

In the embodiment indicated in FIG. 5, there is provided a safety devicegenerally designated 10 which includes a collar 40 having a bore 42which is obliquely formed in order that the set-screw 44 which isthreaded therein may be arranged at an angle so that its head 46 4extends outwardly away from the associated filing cabinet 18 and iseasily accessible.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6 an anchoring device 10" advantageouslyincludes cylindrical bore 50 to accommodate a lock cylinder 52 ofcylindrical configuration. In other respects the device 10" is similarto FIG. 1.

In FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, a safety device generally designated 10" includesan oval bore 54 which is provided with an annular recess to accommodatean internal resilient collar member 56. The collar member 56 includes afiat top wall 58 which is disposed in a recess aligned with the bore 60for a set-screw 62. When the set-screw 62 is tightened it bears againstthe top-wall 58 of the collar member 56 to cause it to bend into theconfiguration indicated in FIG. 8 and this bending provides a firmengagement of the collar member 56 due to the reduction of the size ofits central opening within the bore 54 so that the whole assemblytightly engages with the associated plunger 16.

The device of the invention may thus be manufactured or constructed suchthat it may be easily applied. For example, in the embodiment of device10 in the form of an elastic sleeve it may be fitted directly over thelocking cylinder and provide a projecting surface therefrom, or it maybe made rigid and relatively tamper-proof in the form of a metal collarhaving a set-screw clamping means which may be easily applied or removedmerely by inserting a tool such as a coin to affect the tightening orloosening of the set-screw as desired. On the other hand, in thoseinstances when a special tamper-proof construction is desired then adevice such as cylinder 10' of FIG. 4 is provided which includes aset-screw 24 having a head 28 with a squared recess 64, for example,which may be engaged only by a special tool (not shown) designed toengage in the recess 64 to permit the turning of the set-screw. Thedevice may be used also to signal whether the cabinet is opened orclosed, and for this purpose the walls of the collar 12 may be extendedor designed as a holder for a card or other flagging device ifnecessary. The collar itself may be threaded to provide a threadedinstallation of the collar in respect to a locking cylinder which thenmay also be threaded. The collar may be formed with suitable projectionsor of a suitable configuration such that it functions as a knob orhandle for the associated cylinder with which it is engaged.

In FIG. 9, a resilient collar member is provided which is in the form ofa rubber tube which is applied over the cylinder 16 when it is in awound-up state, as indicated in dotted lines 70. A thickened end 72 isoriented at the inner end of the lock cylinder 16 after it is unwoundand it provides a projection which prevents the withdrawal of theassociated cylinder 16. In this embodiment the nature of the material,for example, a resilient rubber material provides the necessary clampingmeans for holding the collar member 70 in position.

What is claimed is:

1. A safety device for holding a locking cylinder for a device such as afiling cabinet in an open position comprising a collar member adapted tobe engaged around the associated locking cylinder, and means associatedwith said collar member for clamping said member in position on saidlocking cylinder and so that collar member projects outwardly from saidcylinder and prevents the withdrawal thereof into a locked position.

2. A safety device, according to claim 1, wherein said collar membercomprises a rigid metallic sleeve having a through bore therethrough toaccommodate the locking cylinder, said clamping means comprising aset-screw threaded into said sleeve at an angle to intersect saidthrough bore and being rotatable for clamping and releasing said collarmember from the locking cylinder.

3. A safety device, according to claim 2, wherein said sleeve includes atop wall, said top wall having a threaded cross bore for accommodatingsaid setscrew.

4. A safety device, according to claim 3, wherein said threaded crossbore extends obliquely so that said setscrew extends outwardly inrespect to the associated device with which said safety device isemployed.

5. A safety device, according to claim 1, wherein said collar memberincludes a closed front wall for enclosing at least a portion of thelocking cylinder with which it is to be used.

6. A safety device, according to claim 5, including an opening in saidfront wall for orienting a key in a particular orientation in respect tothe locking cylinder.

7. A safety device, according to claim 1, wherein said collar memberincludes an oval through bore.

8. A safety device, according to claim 1, wherein said collar memberincludes a cylindrical through bore.

9. A safety device, according to claim 1, wherein said collar memberincludes an outer sleeve having an internal Wall with an annular recess,a resilient member disposed in said recess and being flexible to tightlyengage the 6 locking cylinder, said clamping means including a setscrewengageable With said resilient member to move resilient member to clampit against the locking cylinder. 10. A safety device, according to claim1, wherein said collar member comprises a resilient sleeve.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,129,570 2/ 1915 Horton 70-2071,169,557 1/1916 Moore 70-237 2,327,990 8/1943 Benson 28758 2,584,0151/1952 HaWes 248-354 2,752,440 6/1956 Robbins 200-44 ROBERT L. WOLFE,Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

